Dear Friend
Let me begin by saying thank you for your support of ReachOut. As Chief Executive, I see the impact of the work we do every day and without our mentors, funders and supporters, we simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do for young people across the UK.
As a valued member of the ReachOut community I’m writing to ask you to consider joining our new Friends of ReachOut Giving Club.
ReachOut is a small charity with big plans.
In response to requests from schools and communities, in the 2022/23 academic year we are aiming to increase our delivery by 35% to support almost 1,400 young people across 94 projects.
To sustain our current work and expand, we need to raise £1.4m next year.
Typically, our income has come from a combination of grant-making trusts and foundations and corporate partners, as well as contributions from schools. However, in order to sustain our projects and grow to support those most in need we need to expand our fundraising reach.
We might not have the resources that big charities have to raise new donations, but what we are lucky to have are friends who understand the impact of what we do and are passionate about the needs of the young people we support.
This is why we’re coming to you to ask for help.
By joining our Friends of ReachOut Giving Club, with a minimum donation of £2,500 (or £200 pcm), you will play a crucial role in ensuring the sustainability of our mentoring projects across the UK. You’ll join a network of like-minded people committed to ensuring that a young person’s background and circumstances are not a barrier to their future success and happiness.
For every 10 members who join the Club, we can run two additional projects and support up to 32 young people per year.
At a time when everyone is struggling, we know we are asking a lot. However, we firmly believe that it’s only by investing now in our young people that we can create a better future.
As a thank you for joining us, Friends of ReachOut will receive regular, tailored updates on the impact of your donation, recognition in our publications and on our website (if desired) as well as invites to exclusive events. You’ll also receive a chic Friends of ReachOut pin badge – this year’s must have accessory!
If you would like to discuss this with me further, please do drop me an email via bejal.shah@reachoutuk.org or call on 07951 456 471.
With sincere thanks,
Bejal
Bejal Shah
Chief Executive
We’ve love you to join our Friends of ReachOut giving club! You can donate online by selecting your donation amount below.
Your money could go further if you pay by Direct Debit and will support our long term growth and sustainability. Monthly donations are handled by a Direct Debit Mandate with your bank and processed securely each month by GoCardless. You can cancel your Direct Debit at any time.
“At first, I was really hesitant to take on the Project Leader role, despite having mentored with ReachOut. However, with the support of the team I’ve really developed my skills. For example, at the Mentee Graduation, I stood up in front of 200 people and presented an award which is something I would never ever have been able to have done before, and isn’t an opportunity I could gain in my other situations.”
Amy McCutcheon, Project Leader at ReachOut Academy, Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester.
“Being able to spend the summer working at Rede Partners, was an amazing experience. Whether it was working in HR or Finance, I learned so much about the world of private equity, made great connections with fantastic people and I got to learn first-hand what it would be like to work there! I really believe that I can go onto build the career I want now I’ve been a part for a workplace for real”
Victor Adekunle, 18 years old, ReachOut Ambassador, London
“When I first my mentee, she was very reluctant to participate in the sessions. Now, I see a completely different person! Her confidence has grown and she is happy to join in! She still has some self-doubt when it comes to academic work, but that’s what I hope to help her overcome, because she is a very bright person!
Through mentoring, I’ve learnt I’m a lot more patient than I realised. There will be days where she refuses to participate and those are the days that I really see the importance of the character strengths, for both the mentees and the mentors. It also makes it easier for the mentee to understand the character strengths, when I use them myself”
Myrtle, ReachOut Club mentor at Tufnell Primary School, London
“There are more distractions than ever outside of school, and the commitment of our students to attend ReachOut sessions is testament to the value they place on the relationships they foster there, and the challenge and enjoyment they provide.
ReachOut’s focus on communication skills and character development has become an important aspect of our provision of support for these students. The opportunity to relate to a positive role- model other than their usual teachers is key to the programme’s impact, and the evidence of this has been seen in the students’ attendance, resilience and to their overall progress across all the subjects in the school.”
Thomas Janvrin, Assistant Vice Principal at the Petchey Academy London
